Japan hopes to build navigation rules in S. China Sea: Noda

2012-11-19 05:28:22 GMT2012-11-19 13:28:22(Beijing Time)SINA English

By Yu Runze, Sina English

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda arrived at Phnom Penh on Sunday to attend a series of ASEAN-related summits. Before his departure, Noda said Japan hopes to establish navigation rules in the South China Sea in cooperation with the US.

“The security environment in South China Sea is changing, and we should dominate the establishment of navigation rules in the South China Sea.”Noda told the reporters in Tokyo on Sunday.

Noda criticized merger of two parties “non-principle coalition”

Toru Hashimoto, Osaka Mayor and the head of the Restoration Party and Shintaro Ishihara, leader of the Sunshine Party and former Tokyo governor, merged their parties Saturday, creating a third force in Japanese politics.

Noda criticized the 2 newly-formed parties for seeking to merge despite their differences on major policies.

He called the move "non-principle coalition" to win voter support in the December 16th lower house election.

Noda spoke to reporters in Tokyo on Saturday, one day after he dissolved the lower house.

His comments came shortly before the leader of the Japan Restoration Party, Osaka mayor Toru Hashimoto, and the co-leader of the Sunrise Party, former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, announced the merger of their parties.

Noda said the 2 parties are seeking to merge despite differences on the issue of raising the consumption tax, the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement as well as foreign policy and security issues.

Noda also said the upcoming election will be a choice of whether Japan moves forward with economic, energy, foreign policy and political reform, or returns to the old politics.

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